ASRS Grand National Drivers Prepare to hit the Road!

(CLEVELAND, OH) The ASRS Grand National Series drivers are preparing to turn left and right for the first time ever. The series heads to the road course in Watkins Glen, New York for the first time Monday, August 31.

The trip to Watkins Glen will not be the first time an ASRS series has raced at the tricky 2.45 mile, 11 turn course. In 2008, the ASRS National Series competed at Watkins Glen with ORP Grand National Series winner Jake Morris taking that victory. The National Series had previously hosted a road race at Lime Rock Park in 2007 where Jeff Bye, Jr. picked up the win, and even further back in the history books, the ASRS Canadian Challenge Series raced at Mosport in 2005, where Eric Bannenberg was the winner.

This time around, the field is filled with top notch competition and solid road racers as well as oval track racers.

The American Sim Racing Series has seen continued growth since its birth in 2002. Since 2005, some of the biggest names in short track sim racing have raced in the American Sim Racing Series, making it America’s #1 Online Short Track League. For more information on the ASRS visit www.americansimracing.com.

Grand National Drivers hit the track for first time

The drivers of the ASRS Grand National Series hit the track for the very first time as an open test at four of the series tracks, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Watkins Glen International Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway, and Memphis Motorsports Park. For many, it was the first look at the new paint schemes and car styles that make up the Grand National Series for 2009.

Drivers in attendance were:

Marc Meyers, #04 Chevrolet
Skip Honaker, #2 Dodge
Steve Buhala, #10 Dodge
Johnnie Ada, #33 Chevrolet
Jeff Lyden, #39 Chevrolet
Dave Spotton, #41 Toyota
Jim Foose, #42 Chevrolet
Wes Johnston, #51 Chevrolet
Craig Schmidt, #85 Toyota
Nicholas Teto, #134 Toyota

Each driver took to the tracks, and the general consensus was the series headed in the right direction and is ready for action next Monday. The biggest complaint was the lack of power at Chicagoland Speedway, which featured racing with less horsepower as a result of the tapered spacer.

Following the one hour test, drivers tested Pikes Peak International Raceway and agreed the track is ready to host an event as soon as the Winter season. Many drivers suggested adding a date at Pikes Peak into the upcoming season.

A solid test this week, points to good things to come for the ASRS Grand National Series. Jim Foose, the ASRS President had the following to say after the test, "I am very excited about this new series and the potential that it has shown, I think that a good field of 16-20 drivers for the opener is quite reasonable".

Grand National Opener August 17th!

Already a solid field has filed entries for the ASRS Grand National Series and with the inaugural season opener just a week away, business is picking up for the series which was announced on July 27th.

With several new team owners and drivers flocking to the ASRS to join the Grand National Series and an aggressive 13 race schedule, featuring 7 short tracks, 4 intermediate tracks, 1 super speedway and 1 road course, the series is sure to be exciting and competitive.

"When forming this series and building the plans for it, we felt that we needed something that offered a bridge between our famed short track divisions and the truck series. What we also wanted was something that would offer a little different taste, and that's where the road course came in." said Jim Foose.

The ASRS Grand National Series kicks off August 17th at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

All American Series Opens with a Bang!

After over two months off, the ASRS Outlaw Paintshop All American Series finally hit the track for the 2009 Fall season. Building upon a successful Spring season, the All American Series saw one of the most competitive and action packed races in it's 119 events held to date. The Iowa 100 rolled off with 13 cars taking the green flag, after four drivers suffered mechanical failures in practice.

To start things off, the pole winner, Skip Honaker, did not lead the first lap. Jordan Morris, the second place starter led the first handful of laps before waivering to Honaker who then set sail. The race saw green flag pit stops between lap 30 and 45, for tires. When the race's only caution flag flew on lap 66, the drivers were beginning to head to pit road for tires again. And as the race ran to the finish, the tires were giving up as the field took the checkered flag.

In all, four drivers led the event, which features four lead changes over 100 laps. At the end, just three drivers remained on the lead lap a result of the green flag pit stops. It was quite a start to a series that heads to O'Reilly Raceway Park Tuesday for the second event of the season.

Grand National Series Nears at ASRS

The ASRS Grand National Series Premier is just around the corner, with the first race scheduled to roll off Monday, August 17 at O’Reilly Raceway Park. A thirteen race schedule is in place featuring seven short tracks, four intermediate tracks, one super speedway and one road course. The Grand National Series looks to bring more talent to ASRS while building on the already strong base of drivers. “With the style of cars we are using and the tracks we will be racing on, I feel this series is a winner for us” said ASRS President, Jim Foose. “The Grand National Series will bridge the gap between the All American Series and the Truck Series as we look to strengthen our entire program for 2010 and beyond”.

Many new drivers and teams have filed entries to participate in the ASRS Grand National Series. Of those new drivers, some old faces are in new places. Such is the case with the newly founded Owens-Monahan Racing team, featuring Chris Owens and Clint Monahan. Additionally Robert Panko Motorsports has joined the Grand National Series with drivers Robert Panko and Chaz Teets, both drivers are brand new to ASRS. Many more drivers have stepped up their programs with plans to run the entire 13 race schedule that makes up the 2009 ASRS Grand National Series.

The roots of the ASRS Grand National Series run deep, with plans to build a series similar to the current Grand National Series dating back to 2005. In 2007, the ASRS East Series was formed and renamed the BozPC National Series in 2008 as the series expanded beyond the geographical limitations of the east coast. However, the National Series was discontinued at the end of 2008 and the gap between the Camping World Truck Series and the Outlaw Paintshop All American Series was created. With the aggressive 13 race schedule, contested on seven short tracks, four speedways, one super speedway and one road course the ASRS Grand National Series has officially bridged that gap and offers something that neither the East Series nor the National Series could, a chance to race on the tracks of the Truck Series without the restrictions on drivers.

The ASRS Grand National Series kicks off Monday, August 17th at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

The American Sim Racing Series has seen continued growth since its birth in 2002. Since 2005, some of the biggest names in short track sim racing have raced in the American Sim Racing Series, making it America’s #1 Online Short Track League. For more information on the ASRS visit www.americansimracing.com.

Grand National Series Coming to ASRS August 17th!

On Monday, August 17, the American Sim Racing Series Grand National Series will roar to life at the O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. The 125 lap event will not only mark the start of the new ASRS Grand National Series, but also the start of a new era at ASRS. The Grand National Series will race on Monday evenings, and will serve as a great series with a diverse mix of race tracks and drivers and a great development series for drivers wishing to move onto the ASRS Camping World Truck Series.

The inaugural Grand National Series schedule features races at seven short tracks, four intermediate tracks, one road course and one super speedway. “We feel that Monday nights are an untapped resource here at ASRS” stated ASRS President, Jim Foose. “Running sometimes three consecutive nights a week (referring to the former schedule of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night racing) wears on everyone and gets old very quickly. We wanted a series that would fit between the trucks and the All American series, so that we could realistically take drivers from the All American cars and put them on the bigger tracks that the trucks go to and see how they do. I feel that this series offers just that, and with the road course thrown in, it should attract its own crowd as well.”

“A couple weeks ago, we made an announcement about the DirtCar Series and I didn’t feel that we had the necessary support for that series to go on as planned. It can be hard to judge from a test session, but the attendance at the test session was terrible. Realistically it takes about 12-16 drivers to get a division going here and it had eight at best. For that, I am sorry that we could not run the DirtCar Series and hope that everyone will atleast take a look at what the ASRS Grand National Series has to offer”

“ASRS is an excellent place to race, and great fun for all. We encourage everyone to check it out and give us a try, we are here to have fun and feel that the product we offer is fun and entertaining”. Foose continued.

The inaugural ASRS Grand National Series will race thirteen times, at many of America’s finest racetracks. In addition to the series opener at O’Reilly Raceway Park, the series will travel to Iowa Speedway, Watkins Glen International Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway, Memphis Motorsports Park, Rockingham Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Talladega SuperSpeedway, Mansfield Motorsports Park, Kentucky Speedway, Music City Motorplex, Kansas Speedway, and Richmond International Raceway. The ASRS Grand National Series Champion will be crowned November 16 at Richmond International Raceway. Races will generally be 100 laps or 100 miles. O’Reilly Raceway Park and Memphis Motorsports Park will host 125 lap events, while Music City Motorplex will feature a 150 lap event.

The series will also feature Race Points Manager’s Virtual Money System, which allows team owners to control a virtual bank account to keep their raceteam afloat. Each race has a set purse and each driver making it into the race will be rewarded with a set virtual dollar amount in winnings. The system was put in place in the Camping World Truck Series earlier this year and has been very successful in that series.

For just a $5 annual registration fee, you could enjoy the fun of the ASRS Camping World Truck Series, Outlaw Paintshop All American Series, and the Grand National Series. The American Sim Racing Series has been running since 2002 and provides fun, fair and friendly racing for all!

The American Sim Racing Series has seen continued growth since its birth in 2002. Since 2005, some of the biggest names in short track sim racing have raced in the American Sim Racing Series, making it America’s #1 Online Short Track League. For more information on the ASRS visit www.americansimracing.com.